Bonn International School Magazine | Spring 2015 | magazine@bonn-is.de
WELCHE MÖGLICHKEITEN BIETET
UNS DER SPORT?
THE IB EXPERIENCE
NORDIC LIGHTS: A MULTI-CULTURAL
DUNGNAD
On the cover and this page: A selection of sculptures by Grade 8 students. Photographs by Angela Vlaskamp, Parent
Imprint:
Bonn International School e.V. Martin-Luther-King-Strasse 14, 53175 Bonn
Contents Sports at BIS - Results 2 BISSV Update 5 Creative Waves - Arts Week 6
Magazine Volunteers:
German Drama for Arts Week 8
Maureen Adams
Teacher Feature - 8 questions to get to know our teachers 10
Melissa Beck
TEDxYouth@BIS 11
Agnieszka Boud
Primary Years Programme 12
Kate Carey
Dr. Koratkar visits Grade 2 12
Owen Elias
Grade 3’s Wax Museum 13
Janet Hannah
100 days! 14
Anuradha Koratkar
Grade 4 visit Deutsches Museum 14
Mitra Maroufi
PYP Student Articles 15
Geraldine McMillan
Early Learning Arts Programme 16
Natalie Niklas
Middle Years Programme 17
Jayanti Srinivas
Fencing at BIS 17
Erin Stevens
Grade 6 and EL5 17 Product Design - Would You Like a Piece of Car? 18
Students:
Drama Elective - Treading the Boards at BIS 19
Elissa F
Art Extension Club 20
Rachel F
Grade 7’s Courtroom 21
Elizabeth H
Language Acquisition - El viaje a Barcelona 22
Helle H
Individuals and Societies in the 21st Century 23
Krupa V
MYP German - Welche Möglichkeiten Bietet Uns Der Sport? 24
Layout and Design: Janet Hannah Photography: Thank you to the many community members who share their photos.
The Diploma Programme 26 The IB Experience 26 Bee Ready: the History Bowl Team 28 Reflections of an IB Parent 29 Unsung Heroes 30 Wayne Richardson 30 The Bonn Marathon 31 Karneval 32
Printing:
Nordic Lights 33
The Happy Printer, Bonn.
Mukwashi - Fundraising and Visiting the Zambian Trust School 34 Career Fair 35 The Polish Pottery Experience 36
A special thank you to Jayanti Srinivas for her invaluable help with our previous issue and apologies for omitting her as a volunteer in that issue.
Boy Scouts of America 38 Getting around Bonn 39 Alumni 40 Transitions 42 Guest Article - Five Sights in Bonn and Five Beyond 44
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Results During the fall season, BIS teams compete in cross country, football and volleyball. Winter sports are basketball and swimming. Season ending tournaments are organised by the Northwest European Council of International Schools (NECIS) and the International Schools Sports Tournament (ISST).
Cross Country (Fall) Runners from Grades 6 to 12 were again out in all weathers on the banks of the Rhine and in the Kottenforst training hard for
ISST Division II Results
what proved to be a very successful season.
Cross Country Team
4th
Junior Girls Team
3rd
The team participated in 3km and 5km races in Frankfurt,
Junior Boys Team
5th
Luxembourg and Brussels before heading to Vienna for a very
Varsity Girls Team
2nd
hilly ISST Championship race. The season ended with the NECIS
Junior Girls
tournament in Antwerp on an extremely muddy, but thankfully flatter, course.
Junior Boys
.
Varsity Girls
Olivia C
7th
Sarah B
9th
Raphael S
5th
Anton T
7th
Carla A
9th
Football (Fall) A busy season culminated in NECIS tournaments in Amsterdam
NECIS Results
for the Junior Varsity Boys and The Hague for the Under 12
Under 12 Boys
and Under 14 Boys. Kazuma M (Grade 9) was named the Most Promising Junior Varsity Player. In their first season in Division II, the Varsity Girls placed fifth in the ISST Tournament in Munich. Louise S (Grade 11) was selected to the All Tournament Team, an honorary all-star team comprising the tournament’s best players. Varsity Boys came fourth in Milan. Special congratulations to Seraju C (Grade 12) and Hayden S (Grade 11) who were also selected to the All Tournament Team.
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7th
Under 14 Boys
3rd
Junior Varsity Boys
4th
ISST Division II Results Varsity Girls
5th
ISST Division III Results Varsity Boys
4th
s n o g a r d o G Volleyball (Fall) The spirit of friendship and inclusion at BIS was recognised again
NECIS results
when the Varsity Girls Volleyball team was voted Most Sporting
Under 12 Girls
10th
Under 14 Girls
8th
Team at their NECIS tournament in Amsterdam. The Junior Varsity Girls placed seventh.
Junior Varsity Girls
The younger teams travelled to The Hague for their NECIS
Varsity Girls
7th Most Sporting Team
10th
tournament, where the Under 12 Girls came tenth and the Under 14 Girls were eighth.
Basketball (Winter) The Varsity Girls ended a successful season with promotion to ISST Division I after winning the ISST Division II trophy on home
NECIS Results Under 12 Girls
6th
turf. Both Tess L (Grade 8) and Isabel R (Grade 10) were selected
Under 12 Boys
6th
to the All Tournament Team.
Under 14 Girls
The Varsity Boys battled hard in Brussels to come third in their
Under 14 Boys
6th
ISST tournament. Congratulations to Gyuho S (Grade 12) who
Junior Varsity Girls
7th
was also selected to the All Tournament Team.
5th
The Junior Varsity Boys and Girls ended their NECIS season in
Junior Varsity Boys (Plate Winners) ISST Divison II Results Varsity Girls
1st
Antwerp where the boys were the Plate Winners and the girls
Varsity Boys
3rd
(Most Sporting Team)
3rd
placed seventh. At the NECIS in Dusseldorf, the Under 14 Girls showed both competitive and sporting spirit when they came third overall and were voted the Most Sporting Team. The Under 12 Girls, Under 12 Boys and Under 14 Girls all placed sixth.
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s t l u s e R
NECIS Results Under 14 Girls 100m Butterfly Hannah W
Lara W
Katrina R Alice L Sabrina S Hannah W Lara W Sabrina S Alice L
100m Backstroke
NECIS 1st record
200m Individual Medley
1st 1st
50m Breaststroke
1st
200m Freestyle
1st
100m Butterfly
2nd
200m Individual Medley
2nd
50m Butterfly
3rd
100m Freestyle
4th
100m Backstroke
4th
50m Freestyle
4th
100m Freestyle
5th
50m Freestyle
5th
200m Medley Relay
2nd
200m Freestyle Relay
2nd
Under 16 Girls
Swimming (Winter)
Isabelle C
The season didn’t start smoothly for the swim team with training disrupted because of the renovation works at the Schwimm- &
in Luxembourg. Many members of the squad improved their personal best times and made it through the preliminaries and into the finals. Many congratulations to Hannah and Lara W, who came in the first three in every individual event they entered. To the right are the top results. 4
4th 5th
50m Butterfly
5th
50m Backstroke
3rd
100m Backstroke
2nd
50m Butterfly
5th
Under 16 Boys
Sportfreunde (SSF) pool. Despite this, the team performed well at two friendly galas before taking part in the NECIS tournament
50m Freestyle 200m Freestyle
Anton T
UPDATE The Bonn International School Sportverein (BISSV) was launched in August 2014 and is a club providing sports activities throughout the year. Teams will participate in local German leagues and competitions. While members are predominantly BIS students, non-BIS students may also apply.
Football The F-Jugend (Under 10) and E-Jugend (Under 12) squads have continued to train twice a week. They have had some friendly matches against other local teams while waiting for confirmation of their acceptance into the Fussball-Verband Mittelrhein league. A D-Jugend team (Under 14) is planned for the 2015-2016 season.
Running The running club is open to primary children and continues to train hard twice a week. Coach Gary Wilberforce is currently preparing the squad for their first competitive local races. In an exciting development, a new coach, Paria Mahrokh, has just been hired. Paria is a member of the German Modern Pentathlon team and trains at Schwimm- & Sportfreunde (SSF) Bonn.
AGM and future plans BISSV held its first Annual General Meeting in February and elected a seven person Board of Trustees. Chair - Martin Weller Vice-Chair - Thomas Gardemann Secretary - Kerry Brazil Treasurer - Gil Grant Other members - Jo Junglas, Chris M端ller, Tobias Goebel There are plans to expand the BISSV by offering more sports including some in partnership with local sports clubs. By extending the sports on offer and the age groups, the BISSV eventually hopes to offer adult and family memberships.
Anyone wishing to participate in or help with BISSV should contact Tobias Goebel at tobias.goebel@bonn-is.de or bissv@bonn-is.de 5
Creative Waves
Arts Week
during the opening of the festival. He continued his work on Monday and Tuesday by joining the Grade 7 students in the classroom. Warren helped to improve performances the students were developing for a special interdisciplinary unit between
On Thursday there was a performance from
Music and Physical and Health Education
the Tokai Takanawadai Youth Woodwind
(PHE) called STOMP. After working with
Orchestra. Students and teachers from
The Creative Waves Festival opened this
Warren, two groups were selected to
grades 5-12 greatly enjoyed this exciting
exciting week, and hundreds of people
perform their STOMP compositions for the
musical and visual performance by 87 high
primary assembly on Wednesday.
school students from Tokyo. The Paul-Klee
from the BIS community attended. A special feature of this year’s festival was a music share between BIS and the Independent Bonn International School. The International Voices choir also joined in this special event. Resident Artist for the Creative Waves Arts
Other highlights of the week included: the Grade 12 Diploma Art Exhibition, a harp master class, several guest artist workshops in primary and secondary arts classes, a puppeteer workshop, and a
Week was Broadway’s STOMP performer,
sharing of art work between BIS students
Warren Richardson. His residence began by
and students from the State International
giving two workshops to the BIS community
School Seeheim Jungenheim.
6
Schule from Bonn was also invited to watch the orchestra with students from BIS. Following the performance, the Japanese students shared games and origami with students from BIS.
This year BIS hosted the first Creative Waves Arts Week. The festival grew out of the success of the Creative Waves Festival, which in years past has taken place one Saturday in the spring. The day celebrated the arts and non-sporting extra curricular activities at BIS. The level of interest in the Arts has grown during the past three years and as a result the one-day festival has expanded into a week-long celebration.
Plans for next year’s Creative Waves Arts Week are already in motion. Mark your calendar for 14-18 March 2016 and encourage your students to get involved! Kathleen Szalay, Teacher
Creative Waves Arts Week ended on Thursday evening at the Brotfabrik Theatre where both the primary and secondary school gave evening performances. The primary students performed two short plays, and the secondary students presented a musical variety show called ‘Musical Madness’. The finale of ‘Musical Madness’ was a preview scene from next year’s musical ‘Legally Blond’.
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Emil und die Detektive
The German musical ‘Emil und die Detektive’ by Marc Schubring and Wolfgang Adenberg is one of the most popular children’s plays put on stage. Our Extra Curricular Primary School German Drama Club run by Ms Zoe Grigoriadou practised scenes of that musical and performed them at the Brotfabrik during the BIS Creative Festival Week.
Emil und die Detektive, written by the well known German writer Erich Kästner, is about a semi-orphaned boy called Emil Tischbein who lives with his mother in Neustadt. One day, on his train ride to Berlin to visit his grandmother, his money is stolen by a mysterious looking man called Mr Grundeis. Despairing and forlorn, Emil arrives in Berlin but luckily he meets a local boy named Gustav who offers his help. Together with a group of other children, Emil embarks on an adventurous journey to catch the thief. The students of the EC German Drama Club enjoyed practising and performing the play not only because they experimented with the German language in expressing their lines but also because they could act out the different characteristics of their roles. The EC German Drama Club took part in the annual Spotlights school theatre festival performing Emil und die Detektive and was chosen as one of the best local school performances. They will perform their whole play on 14 June at the Brotfabrik.
Alfons (playing Emil Tischbein) “I had lots of fun performing Emil in the play. It was really awesome. We had lots of practising but it was worth it.” Giulia (thief and one of Emil’s friends) “It was fun to act and sing with Lucia
Alessia (Frau Tischbein and one of Emil’s
Lucia (playing the thief, the waitress and
friends)
one of Emil’s friends)
who was also a thief. Before we started “It was a really fun and cool experience to “I really liked this play. It was an awesome practising our play, we read the book. In perform on a professional stage. I really experience for me. I played the thief and the play I was also a kid who met Emil. It was very exciting to perform on a real stage.
like this play because it is interesting and
a waitress. As a waitress, I served Giulia,
fun to act it out. I was Emil’s mother. I
the other thief. Giulia and I were real thief
chose the part because I like her. I am
buddies and we were also two of Emil’s
also one of the children who help Emil
friends. All children sang the song Parole
to get back his money. I cannot wait to
Emil. We practised actions and gestures to
perform at the Spotlights festival Bonn. We
the song. It was real fun and we performed
made our play even longer by adding four
scenes of the play at the Brotfabrik with
more scenes and songs. We practised a lot
all parents watching us.”
before the performance at the Brotfabrik. Now we are practising even harder to make it even better.”
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Zoe Grigoriadou, Teacher
EXPERIENCE OUR EXTRAORDINARY SELECTION AND STATE-OF-THE-ART CRAFTSMANSHIP
Address: Alte Bahnhofstr. 12, D-53173 Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany
Phone: +49(0)228-362331
email: info@juwelier-schumann.de
www.juwelier-schumann.de
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Teacher Feature 8 questions to get to know our teachers
Stuart Conway
Lawrence Mayaki
Other than teaching, what else did you want to become? I grew up being passionate about different professions. I thought about becoming a lawyer, a musician, an army officer or an aeronautic engineer. Later on, I studied Chemical Engineering, which I did practice for more than one year. Which fictional character did you want to be as a child? I always wanted to be the superhero “Spiderman”. What is the naughtiest thing you did as a child? When I was 10, I started nurturing the idea of driving a car. The idea lasted for about a week. I finally decided to put my “superhero ability” to work. While my parents were away, I
Other than teaching, what else did you want to become? When I was younger I had aspirations of being a professional golfer, but unfortunately I just wasn’t good enough. I still play now in my spare time but I am not as good as I once was. Which fictional character did you want to be as a child? My favourite show when I was younger was Ghostbusters,
called a few friends over to my house to come watch me. It
so probably one of the ghostbusters!
was a costly adventure: big dents on the car and broken walls.
What is the naughtiest thing you did as a child?
The most disappointing thing was the nickname I cherished
Probably not being very nice to my sister. As we both grow
so much (superhero) was changed to “stupid-hero”.
older, we certainly become closer than when we were kids.
If you had to choose a last meal what would it be?
If you had to choose a last meal what would it be?
It would be Australian lamb shank with mashed potatoes. A
It would definitely be a curry of some sort. I absolutely love
very nice Scotch would be lovely. And to “step it down”, I
Asian food, especially Indian food. When I am back in Scotland,
would go for vanilla shake.
I love my mum’s homemade curry.
What three things would you take on a desert island and why?
What three things would you take on a desert island and why?
Book: Beyond the Tenth by Lobsang Rampa. It would be a
My favourite book is Fatherland, which is set in Germany after
good time for me to read more and critique my understanding
WW2. It tells the story of Europe if Hitler had won the war. I
and personal beliefs about life, death and astral travel.
have a very eclectic taste in Music from the heavy music of
Music: R&B songs. Listening to R&B makes me feel calm.
AC/DC to the modern composer Olafur Arnalds. So probably
Other: A pen and a notepad. To jot down ideas.
my iPod. I would also take my family, to enjoy the island.
Which chores do you hate the most?
Which chores do you hate the most?
I can’t think of any. I am actually fine with most chores.
I always hated washing dishes and still do.
What are your favourite spare time activities?
What are your favourite spare time activities?
Playing with my daughter Emma and shopping.
I love spending time with my wife and son, as well as playing
What is your greatest achievement to date?
football and golf.
Being able to break out of bachelorhood to start a family.
What is your greatest achievement to date?
Being able to take a stand to follow my dreams even when
I would say that becoming a father has been my greatest
most people did not really believe in me.
achievement!
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On Saturday, 18 April 2015, the annual TEDxYOUTH@BIS event was held. For the first time, all talks were given by student speakers. The show was so well organized and the talks so professional, that it seemed hard to believe that these were all students. The speakers auditioned their talks in the fall, and once chosen, worked hard to develop their talks. At this year’s event there was also a special guest appearance by Josefino Rivera (via Skype), a previous English teacher and organizer of TEDx events at BIS. He is currently teaching at Asociación Escuelas
Watching the talks evolve was inspiring. During the entire week preceding the event, all speakers gave their talks in front of various adults to ensure that they were ready for the official event.
Lincolnin Buenos Aires, Argentina. Interestingly, his
The audience was filled with interested faces and
school had their TEDx event, which he was organizing
was eager for the event to start. Throughout the talks,
later that night. His appearance made this year’s
some of which were poems and visual presentations,
TEDx an International Event.
the audience was engaged and could often relate to
The TEDx youth group chose the theme of “acceptance” that would allow for a wide range of interesting and influential topics, and an opportunity to raise awareness of global issues. The broad theme allowed for a mix of emotion to be created by the
the different topics of acceptance. Following the event, audience members expressed their amazement and respect for the student speakers. “I cannot believe how professional they looked and sounded” was a common piece of feedback.
talks’ ranges, from topics such as video games and
The adult organizers for this year’s event were: Peter
the objectification of women to being short, bullying
Vaughn, Asha Kancherlapalli, Cindy Rogers and
and our role in deforestation.
Joana Veasey. They worked together with the student
The team began planning the event in September 2014. It was important to the organizers that students should be responsible for the event. The students carried out the majority of the event’s planning. This included designing the logo, deciding on the theme, designing flyers, website maintenance, photography, and creating a teaser video. These tasks utilized the wide-range of skills of our organizing team.
team throughout the entire process. Kathleen Szalay and Joe Szalay also helped prepare the speakers leading up to the event. However, the event would not have been so successful if it were not for the hard work of the students. They should all be extremely proud of their efforts. Please keep an eye out for announcements regarding next year’s event. Dennis F, Grade 11.
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Dr Anuradha Koratkar decided when she was 10 years old that she wanted to be an astronomer. In 1990 she completed her Ph.D from the University of Michigan and until recently had been working for NASA as an instrument scientist for the Faint Object Spectrograph; specifically working with The Hubble Space Telescope. Dr. Koratkar very kindly visited the Grade 2 children to share her wealth of knowledge. Her fascinating presentation also helped the children understand some of the complex questions they had about the universe during the Grade 2 Where We Are in Place and Time PYP unit of inquiry. Below are some of the thoughts the children took away from Dr Koratkar’s visit:
Dr Koratkar visits Grade 2
PYP I learned that Mars had different parts that looked different. Christy.
I learned that we could not exist without Supernovas. Arina.
If Jupiter was bigger, it would be a star and make its own energy. Owen.
I learned that suns are of different colours. Tomas.
That Saturn and other planets also have Arora. Kako.
That a black hole is so strong that not even light can escape. Vladimir.
There was once water on Mars. Yash, Julia.
That people used to think the Earth is flat. Adam.
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I learned that when a star dies it becomes a Supernova and that people thought that the moon was made of cheese. Felipe, Sacha.
We are born from stars that explode. Kevin.
If you were on Saturn, you could also find the Northern lights because it has a magnetic field. Marina.
I did not know that stars explode. When they get bigger, they die and can turn into black holes. Shalin.
I did not know that stars could die. Tom.
Stars can be different colours and sizes (yellow dwarf, red dwarf, red giant, blue giant). Sasini.
I found it interesting that stars are formed in groups. Letizia.
I learned that when stars explode,they give out lots of energy and chemicals like Iron. Anna.
An eclipse is when the moon blocks the sun’s light. Karla.
That we are made from/ children of stars - star’s supernova produce all the elements. Caitlin.
That the death of a large star creates a black hole. Driss.
I learned that Saturn had an Aurora. Leon A.
I liked it when Ms Anuradha told us that we are star children. Mohammed, Alexandra, Lucas, Max,J ack, Ottilie, Evan.
That there are magnetic fields in space. Vincent.
We are star children. Stars are made from atoms and so are we. Saffran.
Primary Years Programme
GRADE 3 WAX MUSEUM We hope you got to come see our awesome wax museum on March 17! It was a biiig project that we third graders put a lot of work into. Our assignment was to pick an explorer that we were interested in. Our next step was to come up with some “fat� questions that would help us do deep research. Then we read loads of books and websites to find the answers to those fat questions and took lots of notes. Our last step was to put our notes together to make our own presentations. We practiced and practiced. Finally the big day came! We were all in our costumes and so nervous! So nervous I almost wet my pants! But we still had a blast! It was so cool to see so many types of explorers. There were navigators, astronauts, pilots, foot guides, and many more different people from all over the world. Angel O and Tessa vD, Grade 3
Orthodontist
Dr. MED. Dent. ASTRID WELLER-BERGMANN
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DAYS! The first 100 days of school; what an achievement! EL5 students and their teachers celebrate by making and selling cup cakes.
PYP
ENERGY
In February 2015, Grade Four visited the Deutsches Museum to learn about energy. We learned specifically about electrical circuits. We learned many amazing things.
We learned about two different types of circuits: parallel and series. The parallel circuit is a circuit with straight lines that if they continued they would never cross. The parallel circuit looks like a rectangle and can follow two paths. The series circuit is a closed circuit in which the current follows one path. These two circuits include switches and batteries. These circuits can make energy for lights, buzzers and motors with propellers. We also discovered how to do SOS in morse code. For example: S is 3 x short, O is 3 x long and then repeat 3 x short for the S. We also discovered all metals can be good conductors and that plastic is a good insulator. An insulator is an object that stops electricity from going through. A conductor is metal that lets electricity flow through the wire. It made us think more about how electricity travels through wires in our houses to form electricity for people to use. It also made us think about how if one part would be omitted, the whole circuit would not flow. In conclusion, the field trip to the Deutsches Museum was a cool and great opportunity for us to learn about energy. Many things astonished us. For sure energy is an amazing thing! Ruby, Alessia, Aicha and Rachel, Grade 4. Diagrams drawn by Alessia and Ruby, Grade 4. 14
Hi, my name is Carmen and I’m in Grade 3. I decided to cut my hair short and I wasn’t just going to let the barber throw my
Beautiful Lengths
ponytail away. I was going to donate it. I was looking on youtube when I found out about ‘Beautiful Lengths’.This program gives wigs made out of other people’s hair to women fighting cancer. I had seen pictures of girls without hair, eyebrows and sometimes, eyelashes. My aunt and my favourite teacher in my last school
Carmen, Grade 3
were also cancer survivors. So I decided I was going to donate my hair to this cause. When the barber cut my hair and gave me my ponytail, I just
stared at my thick brown hair. My mom sent my hair and later when I was shopping, I saw the ‘Beautiful Lengths’ shampoo and conditioner. I also saw that 500,000 ponytails had been donated. Now I use this shampoo and conditioner. I am glad I gave my hair to someone else.
Primary Years Programme Hi, my name is Jenna and I am going to write about the Brothers Grimm and why I enjoy their stories. The Brothers Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany. Jacob
Why does Jenna like The Brothers Grimm books?
was born in 1785 and Wilhem was born in 1786. They got their stories from the people in the village that they
Jenna, Grade 4
lived in. The village people would tell Jacob and Wilhelm fantasy stories and later the Brothers Grimm changed the stories they had heard and made them into their own stories. We know many of their famous stories such as Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, or Snow White. These stories were not like the Walt Disney stories that we know now. Today’s Walt Disney version contains a lot of happy endings and no murder. Many of their stories were funny, silly, weird, scary, and a lot of them end
I never thought I would like The Brothers Grimm until my father read one to me in German. We have read 15 of their stories and I find their stories entertaining, interesting, exciting, but at times too violent for my little sister, Lauren. I suggest that you should try a few, but choose carefully because some might be scary.
up with someone dying. There is one story called A Girl Without
My last few words are: The Brothers Grimm are very famous
Hands. This story had a lot of murder in it but the ending was,
and their books and stories are in a lot of languages. I hope you
They Lived Happily until Their End.
enjoyed my article on The Brothers Grimm!
Joining BIS in Grade 4
Last summer I came to BIS to learn English and to have more friends from other countries. My first day was exciting. I liked the big school and the warm welcome in the performance room. I was happy to see so many cool kids in the room. When I came in my new classroom I saw nice kids at 4GGe. I remember our first UOI about the body systems. It was a great experience to present my model of a skeleton to my classmates. The school is better because the teachers are nicer and the library is open all day. I enjoy the modern computers, the
Klaus, Grade 4
interesting UOIs, the large school yard and the nice field trips. I sang What a Man in the Robin Hood winter concert. It was an amazing feeling. I like reading the interesting books from the library. My favorite lessons are PE, music, English and all the lessons with Ms. George. 15
EARLY LEARNING ARTS PROGRAMME
PYP
The Early Learning wing is undoubtedly the maddest place in the school. You may know the corridor from the hoards of sweating parents emerging from the blockades every day at drop-off and pick-up. Or you might have been down there during lesson times, when costume-clad under fives enact scenes and dances from their latest play-writing creations. I know it well because I work there in one of the maddest roles of all, the Early Learning Arts teacher. Many times this job description has been met with ‘I don’t know how you do it’ (from parents), ‘You’re just managing their toilet visits’ (my husband and other males) and ‘It’s the most important job in the world’ (solemnly declared by anyone over 60). My favourite response though is Lauren’s, who greets me twice a week with a near-hysterical ‘It’s Music Time!!!!!!!’ then runs around in circles until she falls over. It may be a small domain, but within the classroom, I’m basically a rock star.
as a new song. You might come past to find us all sitting around silently or banging away randomly on our instruments. This is in fact ‘singing the new song in our heads while playing the rhythm as fast as possible’. The art activities are normally done in small groups, especially if glue, paint, glitter or scissors are involved, which is almost always the case. All the lessons and activities have to be flexible and instantly adaptable.
I should warn you that if you are planning to venture down the Corridor of Boom, expect to be dragged into the activity. Some of the best ‘visitors’ include Mr Davidson, who always leaps upon the piano and gets all the children dancing around and Erin Bennet (one of the mums) whose enthusiastic participation infects all the children around her. Then of course there are the indefatigable teaching assistants, Agnes and Julie, who join in every week with enormous skill and cheerfulness, whilst cajoling all the children to sing along too, hauling back those who are trying to crawl away and providing additional seating for the many who need a lap to sit on. Just so you know, my least favourite people are those who come in and stare, while maintaining a fixed smile that says ‘What is Going On?!? Get Me Out Of Here!!!’
It’s Music Time!
Teaching this age group is fantastic because they’re the most uninhibited humans on the planet and their response to music is always unique and utterly spontaneous. The downside is that individual responses include ‘I don’t feel like music today’ (don’t we all feel like that sometimes?) and ‘Oh no, not YOU’. I try not to take this too personally. But there’s no doubt that lessons have to be a whirlwind of activities to keep them engaged and enthused, and one of the great ways to do this is to mix up music with dancing and art. A typical lesson includes action songs, percussion playing, dancing, listening, story telling and some art. Whilst we are together as a class group, each activity is no more than five minutes, so I have to be quite creative if we need to practise something such
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You can see the results of the children’s musical interpretations in their flower pictures outside the classroom, you just have to be brave enough to venture down there and strong enough to resist the musical whirlwind going on inside. Tanya Talbot, Teacher
Fencing at BIS Epee, foil and sabre… words we don’t
to have a go. Some had a try using proper
usually associate with PE, but in January
equipment but all students had
Grades 6 and 7 got to have a go at
a try using modified equipment
fencing. During the lessons students
and helmets.
were taught by some visiting coaches from Olympischer Fechtclub Bonn e.V. They were taught the basics of fencing including the footwork and some of the
All the students had a great time and enjoyed learning something new.
rules. The great part was that they all got The PE Department
Middle Years Programme After Christmas break the Grade 6
to throw a disc and it arrived around the
Physical and Health Education (PHE)
cone, they would win the game.
classes participated in a unit on leadership. During the unit the students looked at interpersonal skills; as part of their assessment they had to plan two activities that they would teach a small group of EL5 students. Grade 6 did a great job creating either a
Personally, I really enjoyed teaching them an activity, because they were so adorable. They listened and respected all the rules we gave, and they were fair play! The best part was that there were so many requirements and they just followed them all and had a lot of fun. This told me
ball skill activity or a co-operative activity.
that we did a great job at teaching them
I asked one of the Grade 6 students to
a really hard game, that my partner and
write about how it was: “In this unit, I think all of the Grade 6s did very well teaching the EL5s, because all of them enjoyed the activity we came up with.” But my partner and I taught the EL5s how to cooperate, communicate and make
I couldn’t win, and both teams won the you ask apart from having an EL5 enjoy a game you created? This was a really fun unit because it was sometimes funny watching EL5s succeed and do the activity. I enjoyed it a lot.” Hopefully we can get more of the older
activity was to make two teams of two.
students to teach younger students in
One person would be on a scooter and
different units.
obstacles (the cones) and had to give one by one the circles to the other person. The other person was the thrower. With the discs that the other person collected, they would have to throw the disc so it goes around a cone. If the person managed
Grade 6 students design, plan and teach activities to EL5
game. It was amazing! What else could
decisions while they were having fun. Our
had to pick up discs without touching the
Cooperate, Communicate, Have Fun
Thanks to all the teachers involved (especially Dr Müller for being an active participant in one group), the Grade 6s for doing all the hard work during the lessons and the EL5s for being great students!!! David Moore, Teacher
17
WOULD YOU LIKE A PIECE OF CAR? How To Celebrate The Tech Way
MYP Can you guess why there is a car in the car park going to pieces? I wanted to celebrate the fact that our subject had been renamed
performance testing has been completed, the vehicles are turned
‘Product Design’. What could our students design that might
over to the scrapyard, but we have the first choice and can pick
actually end up as a real product?
and choose which parts to take.
Hunting for opportunities, I found the 7th German Recycling
Watch out for:
Design Competition 2015. Two Grade 10 classes are now designing
• the gaming station that will be ever so comfy thanks to the
products that can potentially be entered in this competition. The requirements are that these products should be clever, beautiful and useful objects. This is a tall order, but there are already some interesting projects taking shape – let’s keep our fingers crossed for our young designers. But hey – what about that car? The key word here is recycling; students should make their products from waste material. Now, where can we find the material we need? Okay, the waste bins
Nissan front seat surrounded by drink and chips holder that is part of it; • the tech-nerd clock design mounted on a back window; • students with a wide grin, a spanner in their left hand, a ratchet in their right, ready to go for it.
would be an option, so we started collecting materials. On top of
Thanks Frits and thanks Nissan
that, I used a tried and tested system called ‘ATP’ (Ask The People).
for a great opportunity.
One person who answered the call was Frits Van der Steege, a
Stefan Ille, Teacher
test engineer at Nissan. “Would you like a car to strip?” he asked. At first I did not believe him, but look at the parking lot – there it is. Once all the dynamic 18
P.S. Be careful where you park your wheels over the next few weeks!
TREADING THE BOARDS AT BIS
If you are interested in Drama, then there are lots of opportunities to get involved here at BIS and beyond. Here at school Drama is taught as an Elective Subject in Grades 6 to 8 and as a main subject in Grades 9 and 10. These courses all provide students with an opportunity to act and develop a variety of roles, to learn improv skills, to write original scripts and to explore the work of famous writers, which this year have included Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Yazmina Reza, Noel Coward and Agatha Christie.
Middle Years Programme There is also an After School Drama club for
of Venice’ and then developed their own
the wider school community. This can prove
girls in Grades 3 to 5 during which the girls
scenes based on the themes and concepts
to be a daunting prospect to some. Drama
have explored lots of the same techniques
they found in the original verse. They have
helps students to ‘find their voice’ and to
that the MYP Drama students learn. We
written reviews on live performances
build confidence for public speaking, which
are currently working on a Shakespeare
following a field trip in Bonn to watch a
is, as we know, a requirement of many
project in After School Drama club where
live performance of Noel Coward’s ‘Blythe
careers in media communications, politics,
the students explore selected scenes by
Spirit’. Recently we completed a study of
education and in many international
the Bard, which this year has included ‘The
‘The Crucible’ through which the students
organisations, which our BIS students have
Merchant of Venice’ and ‘Hamlet’.
explored the contemporary impact of this
already got in the sight lines of their future
play in terms of current world events.
career aspirations.
All drama students get the opportunity to
‘The play’s the thing’, as Hamlet reminds
The Elective Drama students are currently developing a comedy drama, set in a hotel, which involves the development of original
participate in practical workshops from
his audience how real life reflects Art and
scripts and comedy characters. They enjoy
visiting practitioners, which this year have
as Shakespeare stated himself in timely
included the actor Daniel Foley from
fashion ‘all the world’s a stage’.
seeing their own work literally coming to life. The Grade 9 students have explored plot development in contemporary script writing and they are currently working on an ensemble performance piece by Tom
Performance Workshop, actors from the Bonn University Shakespeare Company (BUSC) and the Irish performance poet Terry McDonagh.
Stoppard entitled ‘The 15 minute Hamlet’,
Drama is a wonderful subject through
which usually entices an audience with its
which to develop confidence and many
promise of a brief encounter with the Bard
other important life skills. It guides students
rather than a four hour marathon (which is
to become emotionally intelligent, helping
roughly how long it takes for the entire play
them to understand complex emotions
to run in a theatre). This abridged version
and build positive human communication.
is often quite popular with students for the
Drama, as well as being an academic
same reason of its brevity, though all the
subject in its own right, offers a range
much loved iconic scenes remain (with
of transferable skills which students can
extraneous details artfully trimmed away).
put to good use in other disciplines. For
The Grade 10 Drama students have explored Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant
Janine Lockwood, Teacher.
example, almost every subject expects students to give presentations in groups or independently to peers, and at times to 19
In order to provide more opportunities for students interested in a career in the Arts we formed the Visual Arts extension club. The goal is to promote creativity by teaching different art techniques through hands-on activities and seeing art in the real world. The mission is to encourage students to express their thoughts, feelings and creativity through a variety of visual art forms such as drawing, digital art, pottery etc. The Visual Arts extension club creates a creative environment for students to showcase their talent and expand their knowledge in art, and meets every Wednesday after school. We started off the program by looking at how to work from observation and experimenting with different drawing techniques. Our next topics include pottery, and watercolour painting techniques.
Art Extension Club
MYP Student comments:
“The art club is a great way for students
helpful, informative and interesting. And
who are passionate about art to further
I look forward to continue exploring and
explore and develop their skills. The Visual
learning new techniques.” Chandler S
Art extension club is small, but cozy and friendly, and Ms Tilton and Ms Dela Cruz are always open to new topics and ideas about what we would like to do next. There are no constraints on what we want to do and the art group is not a graded thing. We have just gone over realistic portrait drawing and observational drawing, but within these topics we have developed our skills in drawing facial features, practising how to blend more successfully and knowing how to draw what we see and not what our minds trick us into seeing. We have even gone over the different pencil
I wanted to learn to enhance my skills as a graphic designer somewhere outside of school time, somewhere where I did not need to worry about grades and paperwork and just enjoy art.” Seb L “I think that the Visual Art extension club has improved my drawings and taught me new ways to draw and also new things to use for drawing. For our next topic I would like to draw animals and animate things. I think it is really fun and hope to continue next year.” Kathryn G
leads that are good to use while drawing
In the words of the great educator Mary
and how to sharpen our pencils properly.
Lou Cook, “Creativity is inventing, growing,
The things that we learn every Wednesday
taking risks, breaking rules, making
are extensive, whether small or big, and
mistakes and having fun!”
there are always laughs while we do it.” Isabelle C
At Bonn International School we encourage you to keep developing your creativity.
“I joined the Visual Art extension club to
There are still more spaces for students to
further my art skills in areas that I have
join the group, so see your Art teacher for
not yet explored. In the art club so far I
more details.
have learnt skills for creating portraits and in observational tonal drawings. I have found both of these explorations very 20
“I joined the Art Extension Group because
Leilani Dela Cruz and Jo Tilton, Teachers
m o o r t r u o C ’s 7 e Grad Middle Years Programme On 17 March 2015 Grade 7 Language and
This was confusing due to the popularity
have watched Willy Freeman force Devin
Literature students performed mock trials.
of the restaurant. Therefore, Willy hired an
Frost into the freezer.
Mr Vaughn, Ms Franken, Ms Francemone
accountant to look into it, and it turned out
and Ms Kancherlapelli’s classes all worked
Devin had been stealing from the restaurant
Trial Outcome
on the same case, with each class being
to pay off her gambling debts. This angered
The prosecution tried to prove beyond
split into one prosecution and one defense
Willy. The next day Devin was found dead
a reasonable doubt that Willy Freeman
team. Students read and analyzed witness
in the restaurant’s freezer, and Willy was
was guilty of murder, while the defense
statements, evidence, and took on the roles
now being charged with murder. Willy’s
attempted to show reasonable doubt so
of lawyers and witnesses. On 17 March, the
motive? Willy was angry about her stealing
the defendant could be found not guilty.
prosecution team from one class met the
and ruining the business financially, and
There were strong witnesses on both sides,
defense team from another class in one
was set to get a life insurance payout from
though each of their official statements also
of four courtrooms. Nobody knew who
a policy they took out together.
raised some doubts about the reliability of
they would be facing until about two hours before the start of the trials.
Case Background Willy Freeman and Devin Frost were partners in a successful restaurant. Willy handled the cooking, and Devin handled the money. At some point Devin told Willy that the restaurant was not making a profit.
However, Devin’s loan shark, Lou Contralto, also had motive. Devin still owed Contralto about $200,000, and it didn’t look like she was going to be able to pay. Contralto has an extensive criminal record, and had been seen lurking outside of the restaurant in an effort to keep tabs on Devin. Moreover, a witness for the defense claimed that Contralto admitted to the murder of Devin Frost. However, Contralto also claimed to
their testimony. In the end, it came down to which teams presented their case most effectively. In two courtrooms Willy Freeman was found guilty, and in the other two Freeman was found not guilty. We look forward to next year’s case. Peter Vaughn, Teacher
21
El viaje a Barcelona Del 22 al 25 de abril fueron todas las clases de español de nuestra escuela a Barcelona. Nos alojamos en un hostal llamado Casa Gràcia, que fue muy bonito con comida bastante buena. En Barcelona visitamos muchos lugares. Vimos las casas de Gaudí en L’Eixample, el Barrio Gótico, la Rambla, la Boquería (el mercado), el estadio del FC Barcelona, el museo de Miró, la Sagrada Familia, Barceloneta y el Park Güell.
En tres días creo que hicimos muchísimas cosas, que puede ser una cosa mala, o una cosa buena. A veces deseo que podríamos haber tenido más tiempo en ciertos lugares, como la playa, la Rambla y la Boquería. Los guías fueron muy informados y preparados pero a veces hablaron demasiado, y después fue aburrido. La cosa que no me gustó era que tuvimos que levantarnos muy temprano.
Mi parte favorita fue la playa o la arquitectura de Gaudí, pero es muy difícil decidir porque fue todo fantástico y el tiempo fue magnifico. Creo que fue Gaudí porque nunca he visto arquitectura tan impresionante y creativa. También era el Día de Sant Jordi y fue muy bonito ver una tradición tan importante en Cataluña, Recomiendo este viaje a todos porque Barcelona es una ciudad con mucha cultura y belleza. Me encantó y en el futuro quiero ir otra vez. Doy las gracias a todos que lo hicieron posible.
MYP
Michela B, Grade 10
and Camp Nou Stadium led by a Spanish speaking guide. The location of the Museum, on a hill, gave us an extraordinary view of the city bordered by the dazzling blue of the Mediterranean. When re-entering the city center we realized the Catalan tradition, Día de San Jordi (Day of Saint George), was already in full swing.
Vendors selling books and roses lined the streets, while many people gathered waiting for book signings or simply enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of the celebrations. The beach that we visited on the next day was a moment for everyone to relax and unwind under the sun. The eventual tour around the old city gave us a distinct view into the history and culture of the area. Our trip ended with a visit to Park Güell, a great example of Antoni Gaudí’s architectural genius. The trip gave us an opportunity to test our Spanish in a way much more fun than in class. Most importantly it gave us insight into the Spanish culture and atmosphere. Overall, the trip was extremely rewarding, and I’m sure many people are already looking out for next year’s signup sheets. In April our Spanish classes took a four day long trip to Barcelona, an epicenter of Spanish culture and art. Early Wednesday morning we took a flight to Barcelona escaping the chilly German weather. We were happy to be welcomed by a gust of warm, humid air upon arrival. Soon we began our first walk through the city directly to La Sagrada Familia. What astounded me most were the countless examples of beautiful and renowned architecture scattered freely across the city, giving Barcelona the unique and memorable appearance it has. The next morning, half the group visited the Miró Museum, while the other half began a tour through the new section of the city
22
Sophie L, Grade 9
Individuals and Societies in the 21st Century Middle Years Programme Teaching Humanities in the 21st century?
hooked up to Wi-Fi, and every student in
We l l , l e t ’s b e c l e a r : H e re a t B o n n
the MYP walking around with this magic
ways, technology easily allows inquiry to
International School, we’re working with
tablet of instant information, knowledge
customize learning.
state of the art technology. Incorporating
is immediate. The truth is, because of the
technology into every thing we do is the
nature of how (and how much!) information
trajectory this century is on. Couple that
we are able to access at any moment, the
with teaching as a student-focused act, as
nature of teaching has changed. This is
opposed to the traditional sit still and listen
good. Why? At no other time has it been
lecture, and you’ll find limitless possibilities
so imperative that students consider and
of approaching what we here in the (former)
evaluate their sources. When you type
Humanities department think is the most
anything into Google, you can literally
fascinating subject in school. (Should you
receive over a million choices within
meet any teacher who doesn’t feel that
seconds. It’s overwhelming. Our job in
way about their subject, approach them
the Individuals and Societies department
with suspicion.)
is to ensure our students account for the
S o , l e t ’s s e e h o w t e c h n o l o g y h a s transformed our classrooms. Remember, it wasn’t long ago that it was textbook, notebook and pen that were the tools of the students, as they faced a teacher covered in chalk dust. Ten years ago, state of the art technology usually meant one
information they use in any research project
sincerely sparks their interests. In so many
Teaching Individuals and Societies in the 21st century also encourages action. We live in an ever changing, complicated system. Events happening in the farthest reaches of the globe now appear before us instantly. Most of us can think of a cause which we’ve become passionate about and have either contributed time, money or a voice to. Not only can we now watch a movement sweep across the planet, but at no other time in human history has it been so easy to have a say in that movement.
they complete. They know they cannot
There is no question that the learners of the
take everything at face value; they have
21st century are more engaged, thoughtful
to investigate, consider and decide. This
problem solvers than generations before. In
technology demands that our students
the Individuals and Societies, these learners
become authentic thinkers. Isn’t that what
contemplate globalization, development,
we want of our students?
computer lab with an unreliable Internet,
Also, thanks to this technology at our
and every teacher competing to get their
fingertips, inquiry can often dictate the
class into it. Now? With our entire campus
direction in which a lesson can go. Do lesson plans get interrupted? Sometimes.
sustainability, economies, cultures, histories, and the theories that accompany each. Studying the world so intently surely serves the purpose of finding one’s place in it. Clive Frank, Teacher
This is good too. When students generate real inquiry, technology allows learners to capitalize on that and investigate what
23
WELCHE MÖGLICHKEITEN BIETET UNS DER SPORT? Sport bietet nicht immer allen die gleichen Möglichkeiten. Zum Beispiel sind Frauen manchmal vom Sport ausgeschlossen. Es ist wichtig, dass man für seine Überzeugungen eintritt und dass man von anderen dabei unterstützt wird. Dabei hilft Sport. Früher waren Frauen im Fußball undenkbar. Aber heute sind die Frauenmannschaften anerkannt und sehr erfolgreich. Aber ‚Women‘s Sport Foundation“ sagt, dass männliche Sportler
$179 Million mehr für ein Stipendium bekommen als weibliche Sportlerinnen. Wir glauben, dass Frauen die gleichen Recht haben sollten wie Männer und zwar nicht nur beim Sport! Wie Inklusion durch Sport funktioniert haben wir selbst erlebt. Marcel Gerber, ein Bonner Nationalmannschaftsspieler im RollstuhlBasketball hat unsere Klasse besucht:
MYP
Sport an der BIS
Rollstuhl-Basketball
Rollstuhl-Basketball ist eine Mannschaftssportart, die für Dynamik, Schnelligkeit und Körperbeherrschung steht. Die Sportler sind Rollstuhlfahrer und –fahrerinnen, aber genauso Menschen, die normalerweise nicht im Rollstuhl sitzen. Männer und Frauen können dabei gemeinsam in einer Mannschaft spielen. Wie funktioniert sowas? Es gibt ein Klassifizierungssystem, das einen Ausgleich zwischen Mitspielern mit unterschiedlichen körperlichen Voraussetzungen herstellt. Marcel Gerber ist 18 Jahre alt, besucht die Beueler Gesamtschule und spielt Rollstuhl-Basketball. Bis er vier Jahre alt war, war er ganz gesund. Dann bekam er eine für Kinder sehr seltene Krankheit, Osteoporose, und deshalb sitzt er heute im Rollstuhl. Vor kurzem ist der Rollstuhl Basketballer mit dem deutschen U 22-Nationalteam in Spanien Vize-Europameister geworden. Alex und Ludovick haben ihm unsere Schule gezeigt, anschließend hat er in unserer Deutschklasse unsere Fragen beantwortet. Frage: Was hat dich inspiriert Rollstuhl Basketball zu machen? Marcel: Also, ich habe Basketball ausgewählt, als ich sieben Jahre alt war. Da habe ich Spiele angeschaut und dabei
24
Lust bekommen, diesen Sport selbst zu lernen. Frage: Du bist ja sehr erfolgreich. Verrätst du uns dein Erfolgsgeheimnis? Marcel: Training, Training, Training und dann nochmal Training. Erfolg muss man sich hart erarbeiten. Frage: Was bringt dir der Sport? Marcel: Selbstvertrauen. Es schon ein tolles Gefühl, zu siegen. Wenn all die Mühe nicht umsonst war. Dann durften wir selbst ausprobieren, wie man in einem Rollstuhl Basektball spielen kann. Wir hatten vier Rollstühle zur Verfügung. Man kann sehen, dass man sehr viel Konzentration braucht. Aber auch, dass es sehr viel Spaß macht. Ich fand es unglaublich, wie gut der Marcel Gerber war. Er konnte von so weit werfen und irgendwie ging der Ball immer in den Korb. Rollstuhlbasketball ist ein Sport für alle, behindert oder nicht, weiblich oder männlich. Wer Interesse an Basketball oder Rollstuhlbasketball hat, findet hier weitere Infos: www.asv-bonn.de (Rollstuhlbaketball) www.telekom-baskets-bonn.de (Basketball )
An unserer Schule spielt Sport eine sehr große Rolle: im regulären Sportunterricht, aber auch bei den vielfältigen Zusatzangeboten. Eine echte sportliche Herausforderung und ein besonders spannendes Ereignis ist NECIS. Was macht NECIS so reizvoll? Hannah ist sehr erfoglreich beim Schwimmen. Maja hat mit ihr gesprochen: Maja: Wie fühlte es sich an, als du alle NECIS Rekorde gebrochen hast? Hannah: Ganz gut eigentlich. Ich bin sehr froh, wenn ich mich verbessere und dass das ganze Training was bringt. Maja: Warst du aufgeregt vor dem Wettkampf? Hannah: Nein, ich mag Wettkämpfe und ich bin nicht aufgeregt vor NECIS Maja: Wie findest du NECIS? Hannah: NECIS ist wirklich schön und macht sehr viel Spaß. Mit der Mannschaft ist das ein wundervolles Erlebnis. Maja: Wie bist du so gut geworden? Hannah: Mir macht das Training sehr viel Spaß. Ich trainiere neunmal die Woche, also an manchen Tagen zweimal. Die Mannschaft ist sehr wichtig, ich mache sehr viel für die Mannschaft und auch für Schwimmen. Für alle, die einfach Spaß haben wollen, gibt es an unserer Schule viele sportliche Zusatzangebote nach dem Unterricht, z.B.
Middle Years Programme Schwimmen, Cross Country, Volleyball usw. Wer also Abwechslung zum Lernen sucht und in neue Sportarten reinschnuppern möchte, der kann sich bei Herrn Grant, unserem EC-Koordinator, informieren und aus über 50 Aktivitäten das Passende suchen. Infos gibt es regelmäßig im Bulletin oder aber an Aushängen vor seinem Büro im Agora Gebäude. Bist du neu an unserer Schule? Dann ist dies eine gute Möglichkeit, neue Freunde zu finden und gleichzeitig viel Spaß zu haben. Aber vielleicht bist du neugierig auf Deutschland und Bonn und möchtest Deutsch außerhalb der Schule sprechen? Dann gibt es die Möglichkeit, Sport in einem der Bonner Sportvereine zu betreiben. Kristina hat das ausprobiert und für uns zusammengefasst:
Sport im Godesberger Turnverein Ich turne seit 4 Monaten außerhalb der Schule beim Godesberger Turnverein. Wer viel turnt, trainiert seine Muskeln, Ausdauer und er bleibt gelenkig. Der Vorteil ist, finde ich, dass man so Kontakt zu anderen Jugendlichen außerhalb der Schule hat. Wer Lust hat, kann sich auf der Webseite des Vereins informieren: www.godesberger-tv-1888.de
Für Tierfreunde hat Milou einen guten Tipp:
Reiten in Bonn und Umgebung Reiten ist ein Sport für Jung und Alt. Wenn man weiß, bei welchem Reitstall man reiten möchte, empfiehlt es sich, den Reitstall sorgfältig und genau anzuschauen. Hier alle Infos: www.Reiten-in-bonn.de Infos übers Reiten allgemein: www.pferd.de Deutsche Reiter-Vereinigung (FN,turnier service): www.fn-neon.de Voltigieren: http://www.voltigieren.org Reitershops: www.loesdau.de, www.kraemer.de, www.die-tenne-reitsport.de Und last but not least haben Alejandro und François ein paar Tipps für Wagemutige:
Trendsportarten in Bonn und Umgebung Trendsportarten sind Sportarten, die in den letzten 15 Jahren erfunden wurden, wie z.B. Freeclimbing, Freeride, Downhill, Bungeejumping und Longboarding. Das Ziel von Trendsportarten ist, dass man an seine Grenzen kommt.
Tauchen Im Monte Mare gibt es ein Hallenbad mit einem 10 Meter tiefen Tauchcenter. Ideal um anzufangen. Monte Mare, Münstereifeler Straße 69, 53359 Rheinbach. http://www.monte-mare.de/de/ indoortauchzentrum.html Mountain Bike http://www.bikepark-winterberg.de/de/ Go Karting: Im Michael Schumacher Kart Center gibt es zwei Kartbahnen (Indoor und Outdoor). Michael Schumacher Straße, 50170 Kerpen http://www.ms-kartcenter.de/en/home.html Bungee Jumping in Bonn: http://www.citysports.de/Bonn/Bungee-Jumping_ Bonn.htm Hochseilklettern am Hardtberg-Bad: In der Dehlen, 53125 Bonn http://www.kletterwald-bonn.de
Neugierig? Hier ein paar Möglichkeiten in Bonn und Umgebung, die wir für euch recherchiert haben: Skateboard Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 53175 Bonn http://www.skatepark-guide.de/component/ option,com_sobi/task,details/Itemid,63/catid,23/ id,1293/
Maja, Milou, Hannah, Valeria, Shivani, Kristina, Francois, Alexander, Ludo, und Alejandro MYP German Language Acqusition Class Grade 7/8 Frau Reck-Brakmann 25
The IB Experience All across the world, a percentage of the thousands of students enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) are currently in its final stage. The Diploma Programme, or DP, has been available to students aged 16 to 19 for over fifty years, and is regarded highly as an educational system for its rigorous You lea academics. The Progamme additionally aims to instill in students rn to evaluate a n d reflect an increased respect for and awareness of their local, national and your wo on rk whic h helps y o global environments. These principles are outlined in its fundamental u develo p “IB Learner Profile.” Waves Magazine seeks feedback from both IB DP teachers and students about their personal experiences with and thoughts on the Programme as a whole.
DP students on the DP
DP
The IB is demanding but therefore I think it really helps you for the future. You learn to evaluate and reflect on your work which helps you develop. Anonymous, Grade 11 Words echoed by the majority of IB DP students who were interviewed for this Waves Magazine article address the difficulty, but also the obvious rewards of the International Baccalaureate. Whilst it may be common for students to poke fun at the Programme (one Grade 12 student supplied: “The IB has taught me to handle my mental breakdowns, even though it caused them in the first place.”) The consensus is that the IB prepares secondary students for the next step of university life, and teaches them to be betterrounded, more thoughtful, diligent, and independent workers. Pierre E, Grade 11, has already realized that although the DP is “very demanding, hard work does pay off and your effort truly reflects your grade.” Now in the Grade 12, Zoe S writes: “Coming to the end of the IB Diploma Programme I am beginning to realize how fortunate I have been to study these subjects in an international environment. Despite the many hard times along the way, ultimately I am glad I’ve done IB—I am a different person than when I started.” Time management is indeed an element crucial to performance in the IB. “Although it was tough at times,” says Gyuho S, Grade 12, “if you plan your time right, I am sure everyone can get good grades and still have some social life.” The IB guys that come to visit the school once a year or so will tell you this flat-out, you can’t have three things at once as an IB DP student: there’s social life, academic success, and sleep—one on each apex of the pyramid—and there is no balanced juggling of all three to be had. You must prioritize two and allow the third to falter, at least for your time in the Diploma Programme (these same guys will testify to the accuracy of such a concept… and will nudge their listeners ever so slightly to opt for the latter two).
Full Thing…vs. Half Swing?
For various reasons, some students elect to undertake IB Certificates in lieu of the full Programme when they reach the DP. This means that, come May’s final external examinations, they will only sit exams for those for which they have done an IB Certificate in the class; they are also exempt from both the Theory of Knowledge (ToK) course and the Extended Essay. This means that, at graduation, these students will not receive an IB Diploma but a high school diploma. Johanna F, Grade 11 writes that she finds the Certificates alternative “less stressful” than what she sees her IB Diploma classmates going through, but she worries at the same time that the decision will affect her chances of getting into her universities of choice. There does indeed appear to be the stigma attached with the high school diploma, that amidst today’s fierce competition students will fail to “stand out” for lack of a truly outstanding academic record and risk denied entry into universities; thus they select the most demanding option before them: the full IB. One must, however, heavily factor their own needs and priorities into the decision. For an anonymous Grade 12 student, IB Certificates were the most realistic and, she feels, best option for herself, given that with a slightly lightened workload she has had increased opportunity to get involved in extracurriculars at the school—something very important to her. Two additional Grade 12 students explain their reasoning for choosing Certificates: “I am going to an American college that’s really only going to look at my high school degree and PSAT score,” says Seraju C; René K calls Certificates the “IB in simpler form,” and says they’re “great if you want to be spared the stress from Extended Essay and ToK.” Overall, it seems both the IB Diploma and the high school diploma with IB Certificates have their inevitable pros and cons, and it is up to each student as an individual to determine the course of their DP journey. Elissa F, Grade 12
26
Teachers share Joanna Hopper, DP Mathematics teacher, believes the IB is a “great all-round programme for students.” She continues, “I myself took the IB diploma programme (a long time ago!) and believe this was a great decision as it allowed me to take a broad variety of subject which kept doors open for my future study. Of course it is also a very demanding programme which can result in a heavy workload especially at pressure points during the year, but it is also a very worthwhile course.” Marguerite Byrne, DP Biology teacher, agrees: “I think the DP programme is an excellent preparation for life after school including but not exclusively life at university, and it teaches students how to become independent learners who consider everything critically.”
Diploma Programme My IB experience A running joke amongst Diploma Programme students is that life in the IB can be seen as a triangular relation between schoolwork, sufficient sleep and having a social life. You need all three of these things to lead a balanced life, but more often than not it seems like you can only pick two at the same time, inevitably sacrificing one of them. Looking back on my experience as an IB student so far, I can say that I have had to balance my fair amount of stress, sleepless nights, and memorable moments with friends and family. And of course, I can also say that sometimes
this may be tough at first, but before I knew it we were already
(read often) this balance would get uneven.
on our last lab reports or our final copies of the History IA. These
Coming towards the end of our time in the IB, the seniors are looking towards what we will be doing next year. Personally, my plans of studying Medicine have changed to studying International Relations over the past two years, and others have made similar transitions as our interests have developed. Without attending
last few months, I have come to really value the friendship and support that has built up during these years. It makes ending the programme just that much more special, and makes me look forward to reuniting with friends or teachers in the future. And actually - that triangular relation? The balance of life in the IB
BIS, I would have never found out my interest for this field and
really isn’t like a triangle. It’s resemblance is closer to the shape of
I can only encourage any future IB students to try and expand
an octagon. Additionally to schoolwork, social life and sleep, you’ll
their horizons by joining extra curriculars or initiate projects to
need to balance procrastination, sports, CAS, extended essay,
see where there own interests lie.
TOK, and not crying yourself to sleep. But, as long as you can
What really surprised me these past two years, is how quickly time truly flies by. I remember the first day in Grade 12 as if it was last week, and the first day of Grade 11 was not too long ago either. Deadlines start lining up a few weeks into the programme, and
figure out for yourself what you want to prioritize in your life, and as long as you take care of your physical, emotional and mental health, the IB really isn’t that hard... All I can say is - good luck! Helle H, Grade 12 27
Bee Ready: the History Bowl Team
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V named this waterway after a group of warriors whose leader was known as Hippolyta…
DP
This chairman of the Chinese Communist Party implemented the Hundred Flowers Campaign and later reversed it… This country was home to a ruler who was the basis for the musical The King and I… Such are the questions the members of BIS’s History Bowl team must be prepared to answer—and in mere seconds, lest the opposing team slams the buzzer first. Only in its second year at BIS, the club has already qualified in the 2014 Nationals in Stuttgart and gone onto participate in the official European competition in Rome, as well as “had an incredible time” this March when members went to Berlin to compete there, says humanities teacher and coach Ms Elissa Francemone. (Oh, and if you were wondering,
answer correctly and you’re the first one to do it, it feels great. You want to answer more questions. History trivia is addictive.” What makes students valuable to such a team? “The best part is that everyone enjoys spending time together. We’d meet once a week and just run through practice questions and learn a few strategies. It was never a strain on anyone, everyone wanted to be there. The same goes for when we travel together—everyone has a good time.”
the answers to the above questions are respectively the Amazonas,
Ms Francemone, who has coached the team since 2013, expresses
Mao Zedong, and Thailand. How did you do?)
that she “would really like to see the club continue next year.” But
At competitions, the group of 8 students (mostly between Grades 10 to 12) split into two teams of 4. Separately, each team competed against rival schools—even against their sister team—to determine their rankings in the progress of the tournament. In the weeks leading up to competition, they had met for once a week for study sessions, as well as had been responsible for light independent reading-around. For team members, however, preparing only
as she is moving to Sri Lanka this summer, this all depends on the school’s success in identifying “a teacher/ coach who has a love of history trivia.” She says, “The creators of the tournament are currently creating a competition that includes the disciplines of Science and Literature as well as History—that would be a blast. I really hope someone at BIS considers taking a team to that.” With increased attention and a few more years of experience,
contributed to the fun of it all. “The majority of these students are,
the new club can only grow and—who knows?—maybe get the
first and foremost, history buffs,” Ms Francemone explains—they
chance to make a little history of its own.
“love history and love the competition.” She continues, “When you 28
Elissa F, Grade 12
Reflections of an IB parent It has been 10 years since we moved to Bonn and the kids joined BIS. The school has grown from 300 odd students to more than 700. We have two state of the art education buildings in one location instead of three post-war constructed small buildings in three locations around Bad Godesberg. When we think of school we are concerned about the academics, environment etc etc. affecting our children, but it is not often that we think of how it is affecting us personally. In this 10th year I thought I should be reflective. I have spent many a happy moment with fascinating women and men from all around the world. I have welcomed families, and with a heavy heart said goodbye to many. As an expat you learn to appreciate the many people whose paths cross yours sometimes for a very short time and sometimes for a slightly longer period. What I cherish the most is that I have learnt to understand the many differing viewpoints. My discussions are no longer with scientists sitting in an ivory tower arguing about the cosmological constant. It is with moms and dads about the future of our children and the world in which they have to grow up. I have had one child recently graduate from BIS with the IB diploma and a child who is experiencing the IB education from EL4. I have gone through my share of ToK essays, extended essays, personal projects and the many rubrics and I find that I have been influenced by the IB teaching philosophy.
In the past, I picked up journals like the changes and number of stitches knitted in Scientific American or National Geographic, a row. These art pieces are a representation read the articles and was intrigued and of my love for mathematical rigor and the captivated by the advances in science influence of art teaching. that allowed us to understand the world I often joke with my daughter and say: around us. I enjoyed the rigor of the science “When you go to university I am going to and math in the articles. But today I read join it too”. Is this me pulling her leg, or these articles not only for their science or is it that I am subconsciously wanting to math, but rather I look at the pictures and stay in an environment where I keep on graphs in the articles and ask myself the learning? The fact is that I have come to questions - “Is this effective in conveying believe that I am learning right along with the main message of the articles? What light them and that some of their teachers have conditions was this picture taken in? Is the been more effective in teaching me than composition balanced?” My evaluation of some of my own. an article has expanded. Anuradha Koratkar, Parent The piece de resistance of the IB philosophy has been that it has also expanded my horizons. I was and still am, to some extent, a very process driven person. I did not have a formal education in art or music when I was growing up. But I have been influenced by the artists that my children have been studying. I have started looking at how math gets represented in art - specially using the medium of yarn and knitting. In this piece (top right) called Spring in Tuscany, I have mixed yarn just like the impressionist mixed color using the technique called pointillism. In the piece that I call Bridget Reiley meets Claude Monet (top of page) I have tried to show movement in a lily pond. Finally in the pillow cases (bottom right) I have tried to study how the shape of the leaf and color affect the look of a pillow. Most importantly all knitted pieces follow a strict mathematical formula both for color
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29
Unsung Heroes
You probably recognize him; you’ve seen him around, greeting students on their way to school in the morning and waving good-bye as they make the rush home, ensuring that the campus is not only a safe, but also a friendly place to be. His job is to know your name, but do you know his? Get to know Wayne Richardson, security guard here at BIS.
Waves Magazine: Where are you originally
WM: What do you like about the BIS
from, Wayne?
community?
Wayne Richardson: I come from South
WR: Definitely all of the families and the
Africa.
positive working environment.
WM: What languages do you speak or can
WM: Can you share a unique fact about
you understand?
yourself, or maybe a crazy experience
WR: English, Afrikaans and German.
you’ve had?
WM: Can you share a little bit of information about your family? WR: I am married with three great kids:
WR: Hmm—no idea. I guess I’m still waiting for it to happen… WM: If you had a three-week paid vacation
an 11-year-old boy, a 6-year-old boy and
to any spot in the world, where would you
a 3-year-old girl.
choose to go and what is the first thing you
WM: How long have you worked at the school? WR: 2 years and 9 months now. WM: What were you doing professionally before your current post here at BIS? WR: I was previously a Health Safety and Environmental consultant in construction of gold and platinum mines. WM: What’s something you like about your job, and something that is difficult? WR: I like all the friendly faces and the community. What’s challenging is getting to know all the names and making sure that everyone is safe. WM: How do you feel you make a difference in your surroundings? WR: I like to think I add a touch of
would do there? WR: Well, I would go back home to South Africa so that I could give my kids a taste of their roots. WM: What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but never gotten to? WR: Someday I would love to go skydiving! In our busy lives, we spend a lot of time focusing on ourselves—which unfortunately means that we often miss really getting to know people with whom we don’t normally cross paths. But you may just find it a good idea to take the opportunity to get to spend some time with those who take care of us and of our environment, and to thank them for their work. So thanks, Wayne! Elissa F, Grade 12
friendliness to BIS.
If you know of an unsung BIS hero or heroine who deserves to be sung about in future editions of Waves magazine, please contact magazine@bonn-is.de.
30
THE BONN MARATHON I ran the Bonn Half Marathon this year. I did this
that what I think is what matters. I deserve
not because I love to run or because I like to eat
a time to think, to be quiet, to reflect, to dream.
burgers and drink beer (although I do), or because
I’m not sure whether we as adults, teachers or
I am super fit. I ran this race for myself. During
parents, give ourselves the time we deserve. So,
my training, many people shared their opinion
when I run, I am thankful. I am thankful for my
about me running a race this length. Some people
sore muscles, thankful for each time my feet hit
doubted that I could do it, but this didn’t affect
the pavement, thankful for each breath I take. No
me nor did I care what they thought. Lots of
matter whether it’s a great run, or the worst run
people cheered me on, although that was very
ever, it IS mine and I am thankful for it.
supportive and inspiring, it didn’t matter what they thought either. Running has reminded me
Kim Henderson, Teacher
31
Karneval Loud music, wild costumes, and little focus during class, yes, it is the last day of school before Carnival break. Students and teachers are focusing on their holiday plans, and ready for the upcoming week off school.
Karneval has been celebrated in Germany for centuries. This is
At BIS, it is a tradition for the Primary students to parade into the
the time of the year when people toss their cares out the window,
Agora one class at a time. It seems like every fairytale, creature, or
and their diet plans for that matter, and celebrate the last days of
historical event is manifested in the array of costumes the children
extravagance before the more somber weeks of Lent. Droves of
wear, from princesses to dragons, and tigers to cowgirls. And it is
people flood the streets for the parades and the parties, especially
not only the Primary students that get excited, but the Secondary
the well-known ones in KÜln. If you are a visitor, don’t be surprised
ones as well, who can be seen in any kind of get-up, from a hippie
if you see packs of teenagers squealing like hyenas or adults
with sunglasses to a blind mouse with a walking stick. Karneval
dressed as ducks stumbling drunk into the street. Germany’s
Day at school gives all BIS students a chance to get to know and
Karneval could be compared to Halloween costume-wise, except
to celebrate this historically, religiously, and culturally rich holiday,
that in Germany there is a whole lot more drinking, laughing, and
no matter which country they come from.
singing. And Karneval, unlike Halloween, is not just for kids.
32
Rachel F, Grade 10
NORDIC LIGHTS A multi-cultural dugnad “Dugnad” is a Norwegian word that directly translated means “a
The International Voices Choir, led by an Agnetha Fältskog version
voluntary, joint effort, unpaid, with the aim to help a neighbour or
of Tanya Talbot, entertained the guests with an ABBA medley and
others with labour they find difficult to do on their own.” The Nordic
neatly choreographed dance steps. A plentiful smorgasbord with
Lights party celebrated at BIS on 7 March came to life through a
salmon, shrimp, cheese, Swedish meatballs and other delicacies
dugnad by Nordic (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish), Latino,
from the North was served, and more than 200 guests and the
Spanish, American, Polish, Canadian and German contributors:
choir members joined in with Nordic drinking songs and toasts
a genuine international event in the spirit of the Nordic countries.
(skååål!) to us and our friends.
The event served as a fund-raiser for the children’s climbing wall
The UNbearables band and DJ Vlad played brilliant dance music
to be built at BIS as well as an opportunity to share Nordic culture
from the eighties and from the Nordic countries. Those who didn’t
and have fun with our friends.
crowd onto the dance floor gathered around the silent auction and contributed to the lively bidding process and fund raising.
Guests entering the Agora were welcomed with Northern Lights on the walls, a traditional Swedish lingonberry drink and Norwegian folk tunes played on the fiddle by Duncan Page, a student at BIS. In the Agora sports hall, the guests were met by artistic paper snowflakes pouring down from the ceiling and the dark blue and green light of a northern winter night. In the middle of the hall, a large hand-made ice bar with Nordic beverages attracted people’s attention throughout the night.
Special thanks go to the group of Latino-American and Spanish ladies who helped make this event materialize. We also greatly appreciate the contribution from our sponsors Scania Deutschland Österreich, Apeiron Restaurant & Retail Management GmbH (Vapiano and L’Osteria), DHL Express, Nomades and Susanne Asbeck and Sodexo Zehnacher GA-tec, as well as the many donors of silent auction items. Edith Rian, Parent 33
Mukwash i
Fundraising and Visiting the Zambian Trust School The Mukwashi Benefit Concert took place
and teachers. Ms Kathleen Szalay’s Service
Goes, and Palladio. Juanita A, a Grade 9
on Thursday, Feb 5th in the Agora atrium.
and Action choir had been rehearsing all
student was the MC for the night, and did a
The concert was organized to raise funds
year, and performed five pieces, including
fabulous job. We also heard from Juliette B,
for the Mukwashi Trust School, Zambia.
Cantate Domino and Lollipop. The MYP
a Grade 10 student who created a piece of
BIS has had a connection with the school
Service and Action choir was formed to
art based on misconceptions about Africa
for several years, having contributed books
enable students to use music to support
as part of her Personal Project.
for their library, and raising funds in the
worthy needs in their local and global
past for the students of this rural Zambian
community.
school. One highlight of the evening was to be greeted on video by Judah, head teacher at the school.
The fundraising concert was a very successful event as through ticket, art and
Individual performances from Honoka K
craft sales we were able to raise over €2000,
and Ayano S also delighted the audience’s
which will pay the salary (for a year!) for a
ears. The BIS band, led by Mr Joseph
specialist Art teacher at the school.
Several school groups performed and art
Szalay also performed five pieces, including
was donated for auction from both students
Selection from the Rolling Stones, Anything
Jo Tilton, Teacher
“The thing about expectations is that they can ruin a perfectly good experience. If expectations are open, then a whole new world is revealed.” This Spring Break, teachers Suzanne Kaegi and Jo Tilton traveled to Lusaka, to work with the Mukwashi Trust School to support the newly introduced Arts curriculum throughout the primary and
It was energizing giving these
secondary school. They spent two weeks in the school, and it
children their first glimpses
was a fantastic! Here are some of their thoughts and memories:
into the creative world. The
Suzanne Kaegi
teachers were wonderful, warm and welcoming. They
The attentive and observant eyes of the children never left me as I
truly enveloped the Mukwashi
walked into their classrooms the very first day at Mukwashi Trust
feeling and spirit that I will
School. I could see they were eager to learn. Eager to share their
never forget. I was constantly
excitement with me. Eager for their first art lessons. Eager to say
humbled and grateful for
my name out loud just to instantly giggle with the unfamiliar sounds
my time spent with these
and my reply. It still makes my heart smile. And most of all, I was
children and their remarkable
eager to share my knowledge and appreciation with all of them.
teachers.
34
Jo Tilton The thing that struck me most was how much the children believed that education was a key part of their future and happiness. Many of them and their teachers walk several kilometres both to and from school. Their stories of struggles to get to school made me exceptionally proud to be a small part of their education.
Where to from here?
I spent most of my time at Mukwashi working with Grades 5-9,
The Mukwashi Trust School still needs ongoing support in a
alongside the new Visual Arts teacher. This is the first year they
number of ways. Currently their dream is to build a senior high
have had Art classes and a specialist teacher. Amongst other
school for the students so that they have guaranteed access
things we discussed how to support the introduction of more
to a full high school education up to their final year (which will
technology into the school – in an affordable and achievable way. A big part of our visit was gathering information to build our relationship with the school. The students and teachers there are so excited about the connection we already have and it would be amazing to keep building upon this. We have many privileges
then give them at least a chance to attend a university). Physical educational resources are also both an immediate and ongoing need. Science, Arts, technology and writing resources are all immediate needs (some students are not able to come to school with pencils or pens).
here at BIS, and it
We are hoping that next school year, we will be able to return to
was a remarkable
Mukwashi, with a group of students, who will be able to help with
experience to see
resource/teaching needs and experience the school.
how much education was prized and strived for in this Zambian community.
For financial support we have begun a Gofundme campaign for the new senior high school building. If you would like to check it out, go to: gofundme.com/t678z72j. If you would like to know more about the experience, or get involved (adult or student, all welcome!) please email Suzie or Jo: suzanne.kaegi@bonn-is.de or jo.tilton@bonn-is.de.
Career Fair In many different cultures, professions were not chosen by the people themselves. A lot of the time it was up to the family, and their heritage. Nowadays, our idea of profession has evolved to it being: ‘Do what you enjoy’. People are free to choose what they want to do and what they enjoy. So where is the problem? Today, there are many career options. There are many different branches of almost any subject. This leads to confusion. Students often get overwhelmed by the amount of career options there are. They don’t know what they are going to be good at, or what they enjoy. To enable students to get a practical idea of a career path, Ms. Tami Albrecht has organised a career fair at BIS for students from Grade 8 and up. The career fair took place on the 30th of April. It included nearly 30 different career specialists. The students attended the fair during the last period of
school, from 14:30 onwards. Specialists of particular subjects were present, answering students’ questions about their profession. As you get closer to Grades 11 and 12 grade, even student thinks about what they want to do and where they want to go. As a student who is looking for career options myself, this career fair was very helpful. The career fair allowed students to speak to experts in their field, and gain knowledge on their experience through university and their everyday life. A mistake many students make is, rushing into decisions about their career or university too quickly, without thinking about different aspects. Since these decisions are made early, students are inclined to pick something that they might later regret. Through the myriad of professions present at the fair, students were able to consider their options and see the different career opportunities available. Krupha V, Grade 11
35
I was new to the expat scene, still getting lost and confused instead of embracing all that this interesting new life in
all the way to Poland? That is a long trip for just a weekend. Besides, I really only wanted a cup. Okay, maybe a saucer. Well the lasagna dishes are pretty cool. Maybe one day I would make it there, I thought. Only if we are traveling that way anyway. We’ll see.
Germany had to offer. Then I saw it. A simple but colorful coffee cup. Not part of any matching set, but just a pretty design in bold colors. I discovered it while babysitting for my sweet little friend, Elias. This adorable two year old did not
IT ALL STARTED WITH A CUP. The Polish Pottery Experience …what a trip!
36
particularly share (nor understand) my enthusiasm for it, but he was kind enough to humor me with a photo for Facebook. It’s the simple things that keep us going in those early months. I soon learned that this was Polish pottery…and I really liked it. Then along came the PV Christmas Gift Exchange of 2012. The gifts ranged from silly to spectacular and the party was a lot of fun. I was very happy with the funny moose I had unwrapped and I was content just getting to know some of
Then it happened. A group was forming and
the other moms at my table. Meanwhile,
there was an available seat in one of the
the gift exchanging continued. Suddenly,
cars. The weekend was free and the planets
without warning, a raucous (and somewhat
aligned. I was going to Poland. I knew it
unladylike) explosion of excited female
would be a fun road trip, a girl’s weekend
voices filled the room. I couldn’t understand
full of laughter and chatter. I would be
what they were howling about until the
happy to see these crazy ladies spending
crowd finally settled and I saw it. An entire
most of their children’s college funds while
set of beautiful cups and saucers and all
I practiced remarkable self control, merely
that goes with it. Dang! I was glad to know
observing and doing my part to keep the
that the lovely moose I was holding could
giggles going. I would basically go along
not read my mind at this point. It would
for the ride. I would simply search for my
have felt betrayed. I wanted that set! I could
one solitary cup and be happy about it. And,
see that I was not alone. I soon found out
in doing so, selflessly save room in the van
why. It, too, was Polish pottery.
for everyone else to overindulge. Why not?
So the seed had been planted. I soon heard
The ride to Boleslawiec was not bad at all.
of large bands of women heading out to
Actually quite fun. With four chatty women
gather as much of the colorful keepsakes
and a capable driver, the time flew by. We
as their minivans could carry. But, I often
arrived in the afternoon, just in time to see
wondered, was it really worth the drive
one shop before closing.
We ended the second fabulous day in beautiful snow covered Boleswiec with another hearty Polish meal. It was yummy and filling and so incredibly cheap that we felt somewhat obligated to hit at least one
time with everyone. What more could I
more shop in the morning before heading
possibly want? I removed the thick packing
home. It only made sense. Our last stop before getting on the road And that’s where it happened. I was
was short but sweet. A few final purchases
transformed. I became one of them. The
were made as we scanned the shelves for
kind of woman who thinks a “pottery 12
one last hidden treasure. I couldn’t help
step program” just means that the next
but compare our first day to our last. We
shop is 12 steps away. The beautiful
were all pros now.
patterns and variety of pieces filled my eyes and my heart. Suddenly I could not imagine a life without that vase (it was gorgeous) and a set of mix and match plates would be just the thing to liven my really dull table at home. My family would thank me. Oh! And the darling butter dish! Oh my goodness. It was adorable and half price! And it was all so inexpensive to begin with. Who can
a car full of treasures and I had had a super
paper to find my absolute favorite piece of Polish pottery. A beautiful coffee cup! Very much like the one I had first seen with Elias. It now sits prominently on my kitchen window sill as a reminder of my precious new friends and a really great weekend. What a trip!
Diane Stewart, Parent
The ride home was again filled with laughter
For those of you interested in a trip such
and stories of bargains and interesting finds.
as this, just let your voices be heard. It is
But we were beat. Pooped! Exhausted! Or,
a great way to get to know people better
as they say in the south, ‘plum tuckered
and there is almost always someone else
out’! Lisa, Sandra, and I all napped in shifts
who is interested in going. It takes a bit of
so our dutiful driver, Laura, would not be
arranging so I would like to thank those
completely bored. Fortunately for all of us,
who drove, shared their knowledge, and/
she was is a great driver and a good sport.
or set this all in motion.
blame me? Ornaments, serving dishes,
Then, just as we were getting close to home,
Lisa, Laura, Sandra, Charlene, Sinem, Nina,
bowls, and whatnots. The line between
these sweet ladies said they had a little
Yesi, Sarah, Kim, Blessy, Kristen, Jennifer,
want and need was now just a blur. Let’s
surprise for me. I couldn’t imagine. We had
and Jackie, Parents
just say I was on my way toward doing my fair share of filling up the back of the van. After the other cars in our party arrived, we all gathered for dinner and talked strategy for the next day’s shopping. The experienced shoppers would show the newbies the ropes and lead us to all the right places. Every store would be chock full of the pottery but each place had something a little different to offer. It is important to not to miss something. We had so much fun finding treasures for ourselves as well as for one another. One person would be interested in a certain piece or pattern and then we would all get so excited when someone would find it. Kind of like kids at an Easter egg hunt. Colorful surprises around every corner. It was almost overwhelming. I was so taken in by the platters and teapots and bowls of all sizes that I kind of forgot about the cup. 37
Boy Scouts of America: Prepared. For Life.
As a Boy Scout I take part in activities such
as a scout, but how to act as a young adult.
as backpacking, camping, rock climbing,
I believe scouting is a great program to
kayaking, white water rafting, skiing, and
be in because it teaches boys many great
sailing. Being in the scouting program for
lessons in life.
many years has taught me valuable life
Thomas M, Grade 9
long skills. These skills range from first aid to wilderness survival, to learning how to Boy Scouts of America is one of the United
cook, how to give a speech, and how to
States’ largest values-based organizations
be a responsible citizen. I first joined Boy
for youth development. It builds character,
Scouts six years ago because I wanted to
responsibility, and leadership. For over a
camp and use a knife and stuff like that,
century, scouting has taught boys lifelong
but I learned it was so much more. It really
values by combining educational activities
teaches you useful things that will help
with fun.
you be prepared for life. Boy Scouts is a
Boys progress through the six ranks of Boy Scouts, each involving more responsibilities, leadership roles and badge earning. An Eagle Scout (the highest rank) must earn
fantastic program and I’m sure any boy would benefit from it. I consider myself lucky to be a Scout. Brennan A, Grade 9
Scouting has been a very enriching experience for me. Scouting has meant a lot to me because I’ve met many new people, had new experiences and learned many new things. I started as a Cub Scout when I was only seven years old. When I look back at my scouting experience, memories of numerous camps, rank advancements and time with friends come up. I can remember going up to the front of the crowd and getting my badges from the scoutmaster. I probably will never forget these memories. My scouting experience will stay with me
Scouting to me has been a life long journey.
for the rest of my life!
World, Personal Management, First Aid,
I started as a Cub Scout and now I am
Shrikee S, Grade 9
and Emergency Preparedness. The Scout
working towards my Eagle Scout badge.
must also plan, develop and lead his own
Being a scout has had many rewards. I
personal service project.
have traveled to so many amazing places.
21 badges including Citizenship in the
The Boy Scouting Organization believes that “helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible and productive society.” As a parent, I’m thankful to have my sons grow as individuals while learning important values taught by scouting. They will be able to embody the Boy Scout Motto: Prepared. For Life. Maureen Adams, Parent
38
Just last year, my troop and I got to camp out in Normandy, France, during the 70th anniversary of D-Day. While being a scout we have to complete merit badges. These badges give us an opportunity to learn so many skills. We also learn to live by the Scout Law: “A scout is trustworthy, loyal,
For information on our local Boy Scout cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent”. troop, please contact Mr Alex Schultz at This law has taught me not only how to act alexander.C.Schulz@gmail.com. Or, for Cub Scouts (Grades 1-5): Mr. Lindle Lindow at lyndle@pack56bonn.org helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
Getting around Bonn One of the great things we found coming
Coming from a city (Auckland) with pretty
In fact for me one of the biggest challenges
to Bonn was how good the public transport
poor public transport we have so far found
was getting used to not having to pay or
system is here. Luckily for me, when I
that we haven’t needed a car after nearly
swipe the card when you get on (provided
arrived my company provided a Job Card
a year in Bonn. Although from time to time
you have a travel card). That said they do
(a subsidized travel card) which covers all
there are frustrations that you will usually
carry out operations periodically to catch
of my public transport in the Bonn and
get with public transport (occasionally they
non-fare paying users which results in a
Cologne area. I can catch regional trains
are late or very rarely sometimes don’t
40 euro fine. If you have forgotten your
as well as the local buses and Trams (U-
show up) it has proven to be an effective
travel card they are usually quite fair and
Bahns) which makes getting around fairly
and easy means of getting around, and
you have 2 weeks to show your card and
easy. Better still the cost is a little under
I can’t think of anywhere in the Bonn or
avoid the fine (but still you have to go into
half of what I would pay as a member of
Cologne area we haven’t been able to get
the travel center to resolve it so easier to
the public so even if you don’t plan to
to easily with public transport.
make sure you have your card!)
The biggest difficulties we have had have
All in All the public transport system pretty
been over the winter, when the weather has
much lives up to the expectations of an
Even without a Job Card the public
been bad (which means more people use
efficient and well organized transport
transport costs are fairly reasonable if you
public transport) so on a couple of occasions
network as you would expect here in
are a regular user and opt to purchase
the bus we catch to school has been too
Germany. Sure there are some of the
monthly travel tickets. The other great
full to get on. With 4 small children it can
problems you get with public transport
use it very often the Job Cards are well worth the cost.
thing about the public transport is that
be hard explaining why we can’t get on the
anywhere – but they have been fairly few
children under the age of 6 travel for free.
bus! However this has only happened a
and far between and its definitely possible
My job card also means another adult and
couple of times along with a few instances
to get around to most places you want
up to 3 children can travel for free with me
of buses not turning up (presumably due to
to go to on the public transport system
in the evening and at weekends so again
a break down) it’s hard to complain when
without too much fuss.
they provide great value.
the transport has otherwise generally been reliable and easy to get on.
Aran Brown, Parent
39
Alumni Jade Chau, class of 2004 I graduated BIS with the Class of 2004 and my post-high school journey has been really enjoyable. It is surreal to think that graduation day at the beautiful Hotel Petersberg was over a decade ago. Am I really that old? After BIS, I returned to the UK and did an undergraduate architecture degree at the University of Manchester. I then worked in London for a year before moving north to bonnie Scotland to do a postgraduate architecture degree at the Glasgow School of Art. Funnily enough, this allowed me to rekindle a lost friendship with Ebany Dohle (Class of 2005), who also happened to be in Glasgow… and it is precisely this: the opportunity to globally cross paths with lost friends that I consider to be one of
Reunion in LOndon The BIS Alumni Reunion London is set to become a tradition. More than thirty BIS Alumni, staff and current representatives came from all corners of the UK, Europe and even Australia to meet and mingle in the gorgeous setting of Grange St Paul Hotel. School buddies caught up and new connections were made. Lively conversation and laughter made for a wonderful gathering and perfect networking opportunity for those representing Classes 2002 through 2014. Overall this was yet another BIS Alumni success. “Thank you for a wonderful evening. It was great catching up with
the many great attributes of international schools. And despite not being in touch with many people from school, I would consider the school friends I am in touch with to be lifelong friends, which I absolutely cherish. Since 2010 I have been based in London. I recently completed my third professional architecture course at UCL, and I am now (finally!) a qualified and registered Architect in the UK. In terms of work, my projects have been UK based, with a new building being completed this year in central London for advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi – feel free to have a nosy next time you pass by (40) Chancery Lane! I am also working on a building in London’s historic Spitalfields …and who knows what and where the next project will be…come what may!
everyone from BIS. I hope to get together again soon!!”
If you are interested in architecture and design, feel free to follow
Patricia & Joanna (Class of 2009)
me at: www.twitter.com/bennetts_jc
Catch up in Cologne, Germany with Natalie Weekes (Wrighton), July 2014.
“Good time and good food, free beer!” Alessandro (Class of 2013) “Great to see some familiar faces, some friends I’ll cherish for life.” Robyn (Class of 2005) “Lovely alumni event. It’s great to see everyone doing well and being successful. Here’s to another London event. Best of luck to future BIS students, the future’s bright.” Jade (Class of 2004)
40
Graduation Day with Natalie Weekes (Wrighton) and Hillary Leahman, June 2004.
“To all current BIS students: you are truly very fortunate to attend such a great international school, located in a beautiful town. Cherish it now, be grateful, and know that you will look back fondly on the memories made. …Once a Third Culture Kid, always a TCK!” Jade Chau
together to ensure the best possible learning experience for all students. It was clear by the sounds of laughter and excitement that students’ social, emotional and academic needs were being fulfilled in a dynamic, international environment. I left BIS in 2004 and lived on multiple continents for the next decade (Asia, Africa and Europe), enjoying a variety of new environments filled with unique pleasures and challenges. In the beginning of 2014, I longed for a change
Kelli Holm Alumni Teacher/Counsellor, I first came to BIS in 2002 and taught Grade 4 on the old
and saw the Primary School Counsellor job advertised at BIS. I tried my best to remain composed during my interview and am proud that I never actually shouted the words, “Choose me, please!” I was incredibly eager to come back to BIS and loved the idea of coming back in a different capacity (I transitioned from
school campus. It was my first international posting and I still
teacher to counsellor during my decade away). Being back has
remember the feeling of awe and delight that accompanied
surpassed my high expectations and I absolutely LOVE every
every moment within school and out. I was immediately struck
day I’m here. Even though the school doubled in size since I was
by the school’s strong sense of community. I was impressed at
here last, it’s retained that feeling of community and dedication
how the parents and school personnel worked strongly
to making school a fantastic experience for all students.
Angelika Pirkl, class of 2002
After graduating from BIS in 2002, I completed my studies at the University of Royal Holloway in Surrey, England, with a degree in European Studies with Management & Spanish. My year abroad
at university took me to Zaragoza, Spain, a beautiful town I can highly recommend for a weekend break if you are ever looking for a destination off the beaten tourist track!
I remember my days as BIS very fondly, and try to stay in touch with the other alumni as much as possible! This grainy retro photo shows me at BIS with Tania, Hakima, Jenni, Kathryn, Ketil and
Redeate (all class of 2002). It was lovely catching up with Tania a few years back in New York - below are the two of us (and her dog Bruno) showing off our red woolly hats!
I am now living with my boyfriend in London, where I work for a photography archive specialised in fine art and history. My job as a Senior Picture Researcher allows me to work with a range of clients, from book publishers through to museums, television production companies, and advertising companies, to help them
find the perfect imagery for their products. My favourite searches are those that allow me to use some creativity, such as working alongside book cover designers on the latest novel or thriller. The
more sober side of the job is advising clients on photographic copyright or artistic copyright permissions and making sure there will be no legal complications arising from the use of our images.
41
Transitioning to
Bonn I’m getting used to the little things, such as not understanding much around me,
I have a friend who once said to me “I truly
picking up pieces of conversation. I’m
believe that significant change only occurs
curious about the culture. Parking on
with risk.” Sometimes taking a risk is like
sidewalks, riding bicycles, bagging
jumping off a steep cliff into the unknown,
There’s nothing like moving to a foreign
groceries, tiny kitchens, keys for every
the uncomfortable. I like to joke that my
country to make me feel stupid. What it also
door! I’m letting my kids ride buses and
friend is standing at the top of that cliff.
does, is challenge me to notice more, to ask
trains. It is a goal of mine not to drive my
She’s encouraging me, but then she pushes
for help, to try harder, to learn, to change
children everywhere. It gives them a great
me off. Or perhaps I jumped. Either way,
perspective. Being from America, it’s easy
sense of self-confidence and responsibility.
I landed in Bonn, with my three children
to forget there’s a whole world out there
I am enrolled in German classes; getting
(ages 15, 11 and 11), a dog and a cat. No
that’s different than us. Things that aren’t
better everyday. I’m the only student in the
familiar, that aren’t convenient. For example,
class with English as a mother tongue. I’m
the recycling process is impressive; I used
also the only one who asks questions like
house, no car. Yes, I’d call that taking a risk. We’ve been here for six months. My husband arrived five months after us. I had to find a house, buy a car, and navigate both the German school system (two kids in Gymnasium) and the international school system (one Grade 9 student) alone. Becoming an Ex Pat is many things. What it isn’t, is easy. It is, however, challenging, exciting, educational, humbling, humorous, and frustrating.
to think one needed an advanced degree to “what’s the best way to say this is a pain in understand it but Germans waste nothing. the ass in German?” Stores are not open on Sunday. Sundays are for enjoying, in most areas you aren’t even allowed to do yard work (and if you do, you can be sure your neighbor will remind you that you can’t). Germans follow rules. They will tell you to follow rules. I once had a man tell me on the Autobahn, going over 100mph, that I needed to be in the slower lane. Naturally, I complied. What at first feels intrusive eventually seems like a good sense of community, real people helping people, everyday.
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I believe this experience is worth all that an international move demands. To realize our strengths, weaknesses, and what we’re capable of, is an opportunity I simply had to take. It is indeed a risk, and I’m told that significant change only occurs with risk. Bring it on, Deutschland. Wir haben Spaß! Maureen Adams, Parent
One of the first things you learn when you move a lot is that it’s not where you live but the people that you are surrounded by. Being a military family, we have met a lot of people and had our fair share of saying
Moving to Germany was difficult. I felt lost, alone, and I couldn’t communicate the way I wanted to. It was more than just a foreign country, it was a foreign experience. That was not quite three years ago. Now the time has come for my family to leave. We will be moving back to familiarity. We will be closer to family (although mine came to visit so many times it’s as if they live up in Cologne). I will be able to find parking for my mammoth car. If I want a quick and healthy meal-to-go it will be easily accessible at any time of day and any day of the week, and if I need something, anything at all, I will be able to go to Target. The funny thing is, I don’t want to go back.
A lot of people reading this will be leaving
goodbye. The people that we live with are
in due time as well. Some will be ready to
always close friends because none of us
go and some not. Those who stay will be
have our families nearby. This time is no
saying tearful goodbyes wondering how life
different in that sense, but for the first time,
will continue without seeing these people
this has become my family.
every day. To those of you who are relatively
Sure, I go to ALDI or Rewe wearing my workout clothes because I know that I will be sweating trying to get all of my items into some sort of vessel to remove them
new, enjoy your time here. It flies by and you can’t get the time back. There is so much to do and see and so many incredible people to meet.
from the belt so quickly. Of course I think I
Thank you to everyone who has touched
have mastered the German language until I
my life while we have been here. Thanks
have to have a conversation with someone.
for laughing with me, letting me vent, and
You bet I’m sick of my neighbors always
exploring Europe with me. I’ll be writing
telling me my business. And yes, it’s a bit
poems about you all for years to come. If
damp here and kind of dark and my vitamin
you’re ever anywhere in the United States,
D is a tad low. But I’ll take it all if it means
look me up. I may just be there too.
that I get to spend more time with my new family from all over the world.
Erin Stevens, Parent
But we can’t stay. My husband has orders and he will get arrested if he doesn’t cooperate. There is no way that my salary as a full time volunteer could pay for my children to go to BIS. Plus, this is just what happens every three years or so.
Transitioning from
Bonn
43
Far left: Dreilaenderpunkt Above left: Phantasialand Above right: Zollverein Coal Mine Left: Haus der Geschichte
5 sights in Bonn and 5 Beyond Start planning family fun activities for the warmer months now! The following five locations in (or around) Bonn paired with similar spots elsewhere within Nord Rhein Westfalen are great places for day (or longer) trips.
Freizeitpark Rheineaue (next to school) is a great way to spend a sunny Sunday any time of the year. This vast green area is almost the size of the city of Bonn itself. You can enjoy the rose garden or Japanese garden or take a short cruise on the Auensee Lake. For a different park experience, visit Dreilaenderpunkt just outside of Aachen where Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands meet. Along with trails in the park, there is a tower, a labyrinth, and even a splash park for warmer days. Plus the bragging rights, “I’ve stood in three countries at once!”
This year the World Heritage Committee will be meeting in Bonn to
Ludwig van Beethoven was possibly NRW’s and definitely Bonn’s
discuss which sites should be inscribed into their popular UNESCO
most prominent historical figure. He lived in many areas of Bonn
World Heritage Site list. Nord Rhein Westfalen (NRW) already has
but only his birth home, the Beethoven Haus Bonn, is still
five sites included. The closest, the Castles of Augustusburg
standing. It offers guided and audio tours to visitors which give
and Falkenlust in Brühl, is only a short 30 minutes outside the
more information into Beethoven’s life and the history of the city.
city. These buildings are one of the earliest examples of Rococo architecture in Germany.
Another popular person in the German-speaking world is Dr. Oetker. He’s the famous name and brand associated with baking
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site in NRW is the Zollverein
and cooking. While the man behind the brand, August Oetker,
Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen. It showcases the
wasn’t born in NRW, his company was. Today visitors can choose
rise and fall of the coal industry in the 20th century. Though it
from several scheduled tours (must be booked in advance) at Dr.
was once a place of industry, this complex now houses several
Oetker Welt in Bielefeld.
museums (including the Red Dot Museum, the world’s largest museum highlighting the best in design and business), dining facilities, and even a pool in the summer. Brush up on German history with a visit to Bonn’s Haus der Geschichte. This free museum focuses on Germany’s history since the end of World War II. It is a thorough insight into the divided Germany with over 7,000 exhibits and memorabilia from the time. Interested in life in Germany before World War II? Head to the Prussian Museum in Wesel. Examine the lives of society, government, and church in the area that would eventually become Germany. The exhibits include some from the 16th century and continue through to the end of World War II. 44
Theme parks are the definition of fun for the whole family. Just a short distance from Bonn, Phantasialand lives up to that definition. They have six themed areas with a combination of rides, shows, and fun. Movie Park in Bottrop highlights Hollywood films and television through themed rides and shows. This theme park has rides that will satisfy all ages. Take time this year to visit some of the local attractions. For more information about these sites and many more of the attractions in Nord Rhein Westfalen, visit www.bellenrw.com/bis. Ann Belle, Guest Writer
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Diploma Program Visual Arts Exhibition 2015